Hoisting solid aggregates in liquids



Oct. 10, 1961 Filed May 25, 1959 P. S. GARDNER, JR

HOISTING SOLID AGGREGATES IN LIQUIDS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 PUMP VA/i.

INVENTOR.

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Oct. 10, .1961 P. s. GARDNER, JR

HOISTING SOLID AGGREGATES IN LIQUIDS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 25. 1959 INVENTOR.

d BY Per S 6dr flffJr Oct. 10, 1961 P. s. GARDNER, JR 3,003,820

aoxsnns SOLID AGGREGATES IN LIQUIDS Filed May 25. 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 PUMP 5 VAR. 051.. j

j INVENTOR. Perg k5. Gardnarfr. BY

fmbz/ United States Patent 3,003,820- HOISTING SOLID AGGREGATES IN LIQUIDS Percy S. Gardner, Jr., 3651 Apollo Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah Filed May 25, 1959, Ser. No. 815,674

7 Claims. 01. 302-44 My invention relates to hoisting and/or transporting solidaggregates in liquids. It is known that granular solids of varying sizes may be lifted or transported in a carrier liquid that has a lower specific gravitythan the solids by confining. the liquid and solids in a pipe and supplying the lifting or transporting energy by making the velocity of the carrier liquid sufficient. to overcome the tendency of the solids to settle in the liquid. A risingor moving column of carrier liquid will lift or transport particles of solid material heavier than the liquid when the vertical component of force on the particle due to velocity of the liquid exceeds the free falling velocity of the material in the liquid.

It is the purpose of this invention to provide a novel control means whereby particles of solid material of varying sizes may be caused to enter a rising column of a carrier liquid in a pipe from an open tank or feed basin and elevated or transported by the liquid and the rate of entry of the material into the liquid may bev governed in a simple effective manner.

My invention utilizes as a means of getting the material into the pipe a feed basin and pipe column of the general character illustrated in my US. Letters Patent No. 2,793,- O82, but without valved passages, wherein the pipe in which the liquid rises has an opening in the side thereof and the feed basin is positioned to supply the material into said side opening, for example, by having the bottom of the feed basin inclined downwardly to the side opening.

The nature and advantages of my invention will appear more fully from the following description and the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention and the best 0 manner of which I am now aware of. carrying out the invention.

In the drawings:

. FIGURE 1' is a vertical sectional view through a feed basin and elevating pipe equipped with my invention;

FIGURE. 2 is an enlarged: fragmentary sectional view of the lower portion of FIGURE 1, showing the details of constructionv of the nozzle employed in the control of entry of solid material into the hoisting column;

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3' of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 1,- but showing the device used to deliver solids laterally and upwardly or longitudinally or downwardly from the feed basin;

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, but showing the pickup device as a portable one to be put into a tank and moved about;

' FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a modified tank, discharge pipe and nozzle relation;

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 6, showing a further modification;

FIGURE 8 is a view similar to FIGURE6, showing a further modification; and

FIGURES 9 and 10 are fragmentary sectional-views illustrating modified nozzle constructions.

In accordance with my invention the solid material to be elevated is delivered into a feed basin 10 in any desirable manner. For some purposes the solidsare merely circulated. for leaching'purposes and are discarded after a sufiicient leaching time. In FIGURE-1' thefeed basin 3,003,820 Patented Oct.- 10, 1961 is illustrated with a pump 11 which is adapted to pump clear carrier liquid from the top of basin 10, in this case, .used asa leaching tank, into the bottom of a pipe 12. The pipe 12 is joined to the bottom portion 10b of the feed basin 10 and the basin is tapered outward above the portion 10b. .The pipe 12 in FIGURE 1 extends upwardly in thebasin 10 and discharges the solids down inside a barrier 13 so they can again be circulated. The liquid level is kept high enough to provide a settling area around the barrier from which the pump 11 can draw liquid. The pipe12 has a side opening 15 which allows the solids in the basin bottom 10b to enter directly into the pipe.

I have foundthat for a full flow of carrier liquid upward through the lower part of the pipe 12 to the opening 15 sufficient to elevate the solid particles, too much liquid flows out 'intothe basin 10 and too littlework is accomplished toward lifting the solids up through the upper portion 12a of the pipe12. This loss can be reduced by cutting down the size of the opening 15, for example, by providing a sleeve 16 in-the pipe 12 which can be lowered or raised from the top. This sleeve restricts the diameter .of the'portion 12a of the pipe 12, however, and is only partly a solution.

In order to better control the flow of carrier liquid upwardly intothe portion 12a of the pipe 12 and to control the entry of solid particles into the opening 15, I provide a re-entrant nozzle 20 in the lower portion 12b of the pipe 12. immediately below the opening 15. This nozzle '20 is mounted inthe upper end of a pipe section 17 which is threaded or otherwise adapted to receive the nozzle 20 and isprovided with a shoulder 18 and a thin rubber ring 19 against which the nozzle 20 seats. The purpose of the rubber ring 19 is to prevent settling back throughthe nozzle, when flow is stopped, of any particles ofsuliicient sizeto bridge thenozzle opening at the bottom-when flow. is again started. The central hole in'the ring 19is of a diameter less than the nozzle diameter and when liquid is flowing the rubber stretching properties conform the opening in. ring 19 to nOZZle diameter. This arrangement also allows such smaller particles as might settle through the rubber. opening at no flow to pass readily upward through-the nozzle without bridging when flow is resumed.

The pipe sectionJ1-7 is slidably and rotatably mounted in the lower pipe portion. 12b and aapacking. gland 21is provided between pipe section 12 and pipe portion. 125. A flexible tubing 22 is clamped on the pipe section 17 and leads .to the pump 11.. A conduit of any suitable type can be used to connect the inlet of pump 11 to the liquid supply in the upper part of the basin 10. With this construction thenozzle 20. can be turned or moved up or .down by handles 23.

In the modified construction shown in FIGURE 4, the basin' does not supply the pump liquid. Here since the discharge for pipe 12' is not into basin 10' it is necessary to supply the carrier liquid from a separatetank. 23. The liquid in tank 23 may be recovered from the material discharged from the pipe 12 orcome from a separate source.

Referring again to the re-entrant nozzle 20 it willbe noted that the" outlet face20a of the nozzle 20 is conical and that-tits opening. 20b is much smaller than the diameter of the pipe 12. The opening 20b will. have a diameter less than% of the interior diameter of the pipe portion 120. With: this nozzle in place I canremove particles fromt'the basin 10 with the: liquid level in the basin 10 at any desired level above the top of the pipe opening. The re-entrant shape of thenozzle prevents cavitation as might occur at the nozzle upper surface with a plain hole discharge. By selection of the proper spacing of the nozzle with respect to the opening 15 I can vary the amount of liquid, for a given pressure beneath the nozzle, that will enter and leave the basin through the opening 15. Moving the nozzle farther down from the opening 15 will increase the amount of carrier liquid entering the basin 10 from the nozzle while moving it closer to the opening 15 will decrease the amount and even withdraw liquid from the basin 10 with the solid particles. By moving it above the bottom of the opening provides a means of adjusting opening size other than pipe 16.

With a particular nozzle size it is also possible, for a particular spacing of the nozzle 20 in relation to the opening 15 to decrease the amount of carrier liquid flowing into the basin 10 through the opening 15 by increasing the pressure of liquid flowing to the nozzle from the pump 11. Thus it is preferable to have a variable discharge pump 11. Then by controlling the position of the nozzle 20 with respect to the opening 15 and controlling the pump discharge, the optimum conditions of particles and liquid pick-up at the opening 15 may be obtained for any particular material.

It is clear that these various adjustments 1) position of nozzle with respect to opening; (2) diameter of nozzle with respect to pipe 12; (3) rate of flow through a given nozzle size or position, provide a novel means of obtaining full static balance between the moving carrier liquid at the opening in the pipe and the liquid bath at rest in basin 10 with the result that solid particles only will enter the pipe opening 15 into the moving stream. It is also obvious that when the solid particles enter the moving stream without a corresponding volume of liquid entering the basin 10, volume in the pipe 12a above the opening 15 has been increased, resulting in a higher velocity and increased lifting power obtained without recourse to the primary source of power.

Where a mixture of solids and liquid are added to basin 10 adjustment provides for inducing the excess liquid along with the solids into the pipe 20a, thereby maintaining a suitable level of liquid in the basin 10.

Where the application is for leaching, as in FIGURE 1, adjustment can provide for regulated flow of a portion of the carrier liquid into the basin 10 through the opening 15 to keep slirnes or like particles from entering the pipe, their withdrawal from the system being accommodated at the periphery of the basin at 14.

It is a feature of my invention that the pipe opening 15 provides a pick-up flow of liquid counter to the downward flow of solid particles, such that there is no plugging or bridging of solids at the pipe opening 15 even though particle size approaches the diameter of pipe 12a.

In FIGURE I have shown my invention as a portable device for insertion in a tank 30 to remove solid particles from the tank. A flexible conduit 28 is provided to bring carrier liquid to the pipe members 31 and 32 and a flexible conduit 29 carries away the liquid and particles. The pipe member 32 has the side opening 35 and a nozzle (not shown) like those used in FIG- URES l-4.

FIGURE 6 shows a modified combination of the pipe 37, basin 40, nozzle 38 and inlet pipe 39, which provides a full 360 degree opening between the pipe 37 and the nozzle 38. The nozzle 38 is like the nozzle 20 and has a rubber ring 3811 in it like the ring 1? in the main form of the invention. This modification allows the pick up of a higher ratio of solids to water where lack of oversize material permits this.

FIGURE 7 illustrates a further modification wherein the opening 41 in the pipe 42 extends throughout about 4 of the pipe circumference. It is otherwise alike in structure to FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 8 illustrates another modification in which the nozzle 43 is olfset with respect to the axis of its supporting pipe 44 and the axis of the particle carrying pipe 45. The pipe 44 is both rotatable and slidable with respect to the pipe 45 so that the effective action of liquid issuing from the nozzle 43 can be changed both by rotation and sliding.

FIGURES 9 and 10 illustrate modified nozzle constructions wherein the nozzles 46 and 47 are non-adjustably mounted with respect to the pipes 48 and 49. Such devices may be used where particle sizes and concentration do not vary.

It is believed that the nature and advantage of my invention will be clear from the foregoing description.

I claim:

1. Means for lifting and transporting solid particles from a liquid bath comprising a transport pipe having an inlet opening therein adapted to be positioned with the opening submerged in the liquid bath containing the particles, a re-entrant nozzle aligned with the transport pipe inlet opening and axially spaced therefrom, basin means containing the liquid bath and solid particles adapted to introduce the solid particles into the space between the nozzle and the inlet opening of the transport pipe, the restricted opening of said nozzle being offset radially from the center of the inlet opening of the transport pipe, means operatively connected to said nozzle adapted to rotate said nozzle about the axis of the inlet opening of the transport pipe, and means operatively connected to said nozzle adapted to supply liquid under pressure to said nozzle, whereby a high velocity stream of liquid is directed between the nozzle and the transport pipe inlet opening to thereby pick up the solid particles from the bath and carry them through the transport pipe.

2. Means for lifting and transporting solid particles from a liquid bath comprising a transport pipe having an inlet opening therein adapted to be positioned with the opening submerged in the liquid bath containing the particles, basin means containing the liquid bath and particles and being adapted to introduce the particles into the space axially adjacent to the opening of the transport pipe, a re-entrant nozzle axially aligned with said transport pipe and located across the space into which the particles are introduced by the basin means, said nozzle having a restricted outlet flaring outwardly toward the inlet opening of the transport pipe, means operatively connected to said nozzle adapted to direct a high velocity stream of liquid from the nozzle, across the space into which the particles are introduced by the basin means and into the inlet opening of the transport pipe, whereby the particles are separated from the liquid bath and carried by the moving liquid within the transport pipe.

3. The device as defined in claim 2 further comprising means adapted to selectively vary the size of the space between the nozzle and the inlet opening of the transport pipe.

4. The device as defined in claim 3 wherein said lastnamed means comprises a concentric sleeve mounted by the transport pipe, said sleeve being axially adjustable with respect to the inlet opening of the transport pipe.

5. The device as defined in claim 2 further comprising means operatively connected between said nozzle and said last-named means adapted to adjustably position said nozzle with respect to the inlet opening of said transport pipe to thereby. obtain full static pressure balance between the liquid bath and the high velocity stream of liquid.

6. The device as defined in claim 2 wherein said nozzle has an adjustable diameter by which the radius of the nozzle opening may be varied with relation to the radius of the transport pipe to thereby obtain full static pressure balance between the liquid bath and the high velocity stream of liquid.

6 7. The device as defined in claim 2 wherein said last- References Cited in the file of this patent named means comprises a variable delivery device by UNITED STATES PATENTS which the rate of flow of the liquid to the nozzle may 783,177 clufi F b. 21, 1905 be adjusted to thereby obtain full static pressure bal- 1,254,244 L 31 Jan, 22, 1918 ance between the liquid bath and the high velocity stream 5 1,264,688 Schilling Apr. 30, 1918 of liquid. 2,850,329 Pyle Sept. 2, 1958 

